A Fortune-telling Princess

Camilla’s tone had changed before she even noticed.

She no longer felt any need to show respect to a bastard who wasn’t even a proper priest anymore.

At her question, Daniel’s eyes widened slightly.

“How did you know that?”

“Are you stupid?”

“...Pardon?”

“Right now, the only person who would know Jainer was injured and disappeared is the culprit.”

“Oh. I see.”

Daniel’s reaction was indifferent, like he didn’t care if he’d been found out. If anything, he even let a deep smile settle at the corner of his mouth, as if this made things easier.

“One of the reasons I brought you here is because of Jainer—because of him. I need to finish it, but I simply couldn’t find where he went.”

“You can’t find him?”

At that, Camilla felt a quiet surge of relief. If he was still tracking Jainer, that meant he was probably still alive, right?

“So you kidnapped me right in front of the Khan branch? Through your people, you were going to force the Jainer hiding somewhere to come out, no matter what?”

Daniel’s eyes rounded again. Had she already understood everything?

“I wouldn’t call it kidnapping, but... yes, essentially. But if you knew all of that, why did you follow me?”

“Unfortunately for you, the Khan branch didn’t know anything either.”

So he’d planned to use me as bait to lure Jainer out, but you picked the wrong target.

The situation was so absurd that Camilla let out a hollow laugh.

Who do you think I am?

They weren’t related by blood. They hadn’t even known each other long.

They were strangers.

Did he really think Jainer would come all the way to a place like this just to save an adopted daughter?

He’s the one who abandoned Dive after living together for years.

Did the man who led Khan truly not know Dive’s nanny was abusing the child?

No way. He knew, and he let it happen anyway.

Well, I can understand it to a point.

No matter what he did, every regression sent everything back to the start. He must have decided it was all meaningless. No matter how hard he fought, the same thing would happen again.

Of course, ordinary people still wouldn’t be able to ignore a younger sibling suffering like that...

But that man stopped being “ordinary” a long time ago—and he’s obsessed with calculating profit and loss.

A man like that wasn’t going to come here to save me.

Hey, mister. You chose the wrong bait.

“Well. That’s something you’ll find out if you keep watching.”

Daniel, too, didn’t seem to have high expectations. He shrugged, as if it didn’t really matter whether Jainer came or not.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s true I used you as bait, but I have no intention of harming you.”

“.......”

“I simply wanted to sit down and talk properly.”

Camilla stared at him in silence, as if telling him to say whatever it was he wanted to say.

“There isn’t only the Lord God in this world.”

“You mean Eva Faith?”

“......!”

When she cut through his pointless stalling and put the core on the table, Daniel’s expression hardened for the first time.

“...So you did know.”

Daniel clicked his tongue lightly, then asked with certainty.

“Did Jainer tell you?”

I heard it from Jainer?

About Eva Faith?

What is he talking about?

What?

So Jainer already knew?

Camilla barely managed to swallow the incredulous laugh that tried to burst out.

Since when?

She’d thought something felt off.

Every time I asked if he’d found anything, he kept changing the subject!

You bastard. Are you turning into Dorman too?

Why wouldn’t you tell me, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ you shameless piece of work? I’m the one who commissioned you. If you found something, you’re supposed to tell me!

This time I was going to pay him nothing... wait.

As Camilla tore into Jainer in her head, she suddenly froze.

Don’t tell me... was it because of me?

Did he discover Daniel’s true identity while carrying out my request? And then learn about Eva Faith too?

And that’s why they started chasing him and it got dangerous?

Camilla quickly buried the expression that threatened to harden her face.

I should’ve been more careful.

This was plainly her mistake.

All she’d asked was for him to quietly look into the person distributing holy relics—yet she’d underestimated the capabilities of the man who ran Khan.

“So what is it?”

Camilla asked flatly, hiding the tangle in her mind.

“Are you here to advertise Eva Faith?”

“I only want to clear up a misunderstanding. And share some good words while I’m at it. People have many misunderstandings about Eva Faith.”

“Misunderstandings?”

“Contrary to what the world believes, we have never once forced an unwilling person into the faith.”

He kept clicking his tongue as if it pained him.

“We only accepted those who wanted it—those who desperately wished to be with us. People want eternal life that badly.”

“And the ones whose bodies were taken?”

“...Pardon?”

“Even the ones whose bodies you stole. That wasn’t force?”

“...You truly know quite a lot.”

This time, Daniel couldn’t hide his shock.

The fact that Eva Faith took people’s bodies was something very few knew, in the past or the present.

Most people only believed they sustained themselves by draining the life force of those offered as sacrifices.

Well, that’s not wrong, either.

There were two ways members of Eva Faith maintained their lives.

One was what people commonly knew: draining others’ life force. The other was taking over a young, living body.

“I’m asking if that wasn’t force, too.”

“In any great undertaking, small sacrifices are always part of it.”

“Ha.”

It’s almost refreshing how seriously he says bullshit.

“So? What do you want to say to me?”

“Don’t you want eternal life?”

“Yeah.”

“...Yes. Eternal life... Wait, what?”

“I said I don’t.”

For a so-called cult, the lines are unbelievably tired.

Eternal life?

Why don’t you try saying that in front of Jainer? He’d probably laugh and then slice your throat clean off.

“Living on and on isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

At her line—like someone who’d already lived out their life—Daniel made a baffled face, and Camilla let out a small laugh.

“I’ve lived a lot longer than you’d think.”

Up until now, she had clawed and thrashed because she didn’t want to die—but that was because she wanted to protect the life that was originally hers.

She had no interest whatsoever in extending a life by force.

And using someone else’s life to do it?

Just thinking about it gave her chills.

“Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“If there’s anyone more afraid of dying than me, tell them to come out.”

What you know is what truly scares you.

“Want to die about twenty-six times? Even when it’s secondhand, it’s terrifying every time. You never get used to it.”

“What are you—”

“So what is it? You want me to join Eva Faith?”

“...Yes. Th-that’s right. Please become our saintess.”

“...Saintess?”

[Unbelievable, you—! What kind of brain-damaged bastard says that to someone who’s on the level of a saintess who wields the Lord God’s power? Of course you’re heretics—your conscience is rotting in a trash can.]

Whoa, whoa. Calm down.

Arena reacted before Camilla did.

Even after witnessing Arena’s overwhelming holy power up close, “become Eva Faith’s saintess” must have hit the wrong nerve.

“The position of saintess is not something our faith grants to just anyone. That is how important you are to us.”

“So?”

“You will be given wealth and power beyond what you can imagine. And everything you desire can be made real.”

“Everything I desire.”

“Yes. The seat of Eva Faith’s saintess is that kind of position. Unlike the temple, we would never do something shameless like draining a saintess dry and using only her power.”

[Huh? I’ll give you that. They work you to death over there.]

Excuse me? That is not something you should be agreeing with—

Watching Arena nod along like she hadn’t been furious a second ago, Camilla let out a short sigh in her mind.

“Eva Faith’s saintess...”

“You will gain tremendous power.”

“Hm.”

“Wealth and power—everything!”

As Camilla showed interest, Daniel’s voice rose another notch.

Got it.

A deep smile bloomed across Daniel’s lips.

Even if he failed to dispose of Jainer, if he brought her into the faith, the Master of the Order would surely accept him again.

If she shared their purpose, they would no longer need to fear the Guardian’s Sword!

With that immense holy power, they could spread Eva Faith’s strength further and become even stronger.

And the Master of the Order understood that better than anyone—which was why the Master of the Order had been deliberating what to do with Camilla Sorpel in the first place.

This is my chance.

A chance that would never come again.

Forgiving me for disobeying the order... that, too.

He’d been told to handle Jainer alone, but he’d had no confidence. In the end, he’d mobilized others.

Even now, Eva Faith members were positioned throughout the building. The moment Jainer appeared, an attack combined with sorcery would be unleashed.

Because the Master of the Order values results over process.

Even if he’d disobeyed the command to kill Jainer alone, if he recruited Camilla and cleanly erased Jainer as well, everything would surely be forgiven.

“If there is anything you want, say it. Do you want an empire? We have more than enough power to give it to you.”

“I don’t need that crap.”

“Then what do you want?”

“What I want is...”

Camilla paused, then smiled prettily.

“The Master of the Order’s head.”

“...What?”

“If I need your Master of the Order’s head, then what?”

“.......”

“Bring me the head, and I’ll think about it. Ah—am I getting a bad deal?”

Camilla snickered and kept going.

“If your Master of the Order can just move into another body, then the body they’re sitting in now is something they can throw away, right? Hmm... let’s do this. Not you—have the Master of the Order personally bring their own head.”

“You...”

As he watched Camilla mock him, Daniel’s face slowly hardened.

Only then did he realize she’d never intended to listen to him at all.

“How disappointing. I thought you were someone I could speak with.”

“I’m disappointed too. You showed your true colors way more sloppily than I expected.”

“...You will regret this.”

“I’m always regretting something.”

At her indifferent reply, Daniel’s gaze sank colder still.

“Do it.”

The quiet command slipped from his mouth. In an instant, countless people revealed themselves.

“I didn’t want to force you. What a shame.”

He meant it.

If he only obtained her body, she might not be able to use the Guardian’s Sword or holy power properly.

He had wanted her whole, intact...

But what choice did he have? She was refusing that firmly. Regrettable, but he would take the body anyway.

“Still, your body will be handed to someone high within the faith and used very, very well—so don’t be too upset.”